She focused on the road, knowing that the true pain of memory lay just ahead on the outside of town. Despite the years since she had left, the roads were as familiar as a good friend. When she reached the large sign that announced the ranch, she stopped as she turned up the drive to the lodge and stared at the spread up above. Nothing had changed. For all intents and purposes, time had stood still at Outside Adventures.
"Why are we stopped, Mommy? Is that it?"
"That's it, sweetheart. I'm just taking a look."
"It looks very nice."
"I hope you're right, kid. I sincerely hope you're right." She drove the Tahoe as slowly as she could up the long drive as she tried to mentally prepare herself for greeting Vinia Hale. Valerie had no idea what had happened after she left, but she was about to find out, for better or worse.
Vinia came out on the porch almost immediately when Valerie parked. Just like the rest of the ranch, she didn't look a bit different. Vinia had been like a mother, and raw emotions almost overwhelmed Valerie as she watched the woman approach. She had hurt the very people she loved the most, and the past was about to catch up to her.
As she hesitated getting out of the SUV, Londyn unhooked herself and was out before Valerie realized she was free.
"Londyn!"
The little girl ran right up to Vinia and held up her stuffed animal. "Hi. This is Elfred. We got him at the zoo, and Sheila told me that I can work there any time I want."
"She did?" Vinia made a big deal of acknowledging the stuffed animal as Valerie approached. "Well, you must be really special for Sheila to tell you that. She only tells people stuff who she thinks are serious about her elephants."
"Do you know her?"
Vinia gasped. "Of course I do. I love elephants, too."
"You do?" Londyn's eyes were wide as she whirled around. "Mommy! Did you hear? This lady loves elephants, too."
"I sure did." Valerie's eyes locked with Vinia's. "This is Ms. Vinia. This is her ranch."
"Ms. Vinia, do you have an elephant here?"
Vinia laughed. "No, I'm afraid not, but I'm sure if I told my boys that we should have one, they'd probably figure out how to get one."
"Really? Can I talk to your boys?"
"Well, how about we get you settled into your cabin," she glanced up at Valerie, "even if you are a day early? Would that be okay?"
Valerie cleared her throat. "Sorry. Plans changed and we got here two days early. We spent the night in Denver, but I was hoping you'd be ready for us today."
Vinia walked over and gave her a hug, which surprised Valerie. "You know me well enough to know that I'm always prepared. I would never tell you no."
Tears popped into her eyes again as she hugged Vinia. "Under the circumstances, I wasn't sure what to expect."
Vinia stepped back and wiped her eyes. "That's all to be discussed later. I'll admit. When you made the reservations for two, I wasn't expecting an adorable little girl."
It took a minute for her meaning to sink in. "You thought I'd... oh, I never would."
"Let's get your bags." Vinia paused as she headed toward the Tahoe. "Is there really so much of a difference, whether you brought a man here or not?" She gestured toward Londyn. "You moved on. And Ty didn't."
Valerie closed her eyes as her heart ached just hearing his name, and she took a deep breath. "Is he around?"
"He is, but he went up on the mountain. You know how he gets. He's expecting you tomorrow, so this ought to be interesting."
Despite her friendliness, Valerie detected the slight layer of frost in Vinia's attitude. She didn't blame her; it was expected. She was more relieved that Vinia wasn't asking as many questions as anticipated. It was bound to come later, but at least the initial confrontation was over. And she knew that if Tyson went up on the mountain, he was dealing with his emotions. The hills were his happy place, and she prayed that he found the calmness he was going to need when she surprised him early.
Vinia hung around after she showed them to their cabin. She was chatting about meals, and how Sarah was baking now, and how Colton had just married. Valerie could feel the underlying desire to ask a whole slew of personal questions, but to her credit, Vinia resisted and kept the topics friendly and upbeat. Valerie caught herself wanting to blurt out her entire life story to explain, to apologize, but she knew that the right time would present itself. And hopefully alleviate some of the emotions when it happened.
Vinia finally headed to the door. "Lunch is in a couple hours. If you're hungry, come on over and you can eat earlier. Everyone," she stared at Valerie, "everyone, will be there at noon." Valerie caught the hint that if she wanted to avoid the rest of the family, she could.
Londyn poked her head out from the adjoining room. "Thank you, Ms. Vinia. Maybe I can talk to everyone about getting an elephant."
